Method of humidifying and sterilizing air



E. C. RQSENOW METHOD OF HUMIDIFYINC- AND STERILIZING AIR Filed June 12. 1922 w w n m m M E Patented June 22, 192 6. .I i 4 UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE.

anwmn c. nosmvow, or momma,

METHOD OF HUMIDIIYING AND s'mmrzme AIR.

Application filed June 1:, ma. was... 501,530.

This invention relates to a method for between the sections a of the radiator and to humidifying, washing and sterilizing the rest upon and be sup rted by the longitudiair'in heated rooms. It is well known that nally extending mem r a, and being shown --in closed heated rooms, the air becomes as recessed for engagement with said memcharged with bacteria and that there is more her. The members 4 are further provided or less dust and other-impurities therein. with spacedbolts 5 having grooved counter- It is also well known that there is a circulasunk heads disposed in the upper surface of tion of air upward from the radiators which the members 4. and having threaded ends are commonly used to heat the rooms. This ro ecting therebeneath. A chain or other .6

upward circulation of air carries with it a exible member 6 has its end links or loops stream ofdust which usually results in a disposed over the bolts 5 agalnst collars soiled place on the ceiling, and if there are thereon adjacent the members 4, whlch links any draperies adjacent the radiator they or loops are heldin lace by the-nuts threadare charged with dust and soiled. ed on to the bolts. f preferred, the ends of 7 i It is an object of this invention to provide the chain or the linksthereof can be disposed Fig. '1 is a view partly in side elevation movable and sim 1y placed in ositiort o'pa method for utilizing the circulation caused directly a ainst the members 4. After the by the radiator to humidify, wash and sterinuts have n started on the bolts thesame, I lize the air in the room. together with the chain can be tightened by It is a further object of the invention to turning the bolts-from the upper ends wit 75 20 use the heat of the radiator to circulate the a screwdriver. The chain 6 is thus clamped air through a casin having means therein tightly against the member-a and the frame for trapping and ki 'g the germs. is rigidly secured to the radiator. The front These and other objects and advantages end of theframe is provided with a plurality of the invention will be fully-set forth in the of holes 7 suitably arranged to produce an following description made in connection artistic effect. The frame is provided withv with the accompanying drawings in which .a cover '8 preferably made from a soli like reference characters refer to the same. panel and having a molding flange around its parts throughout the different views, and in edge adapted to fit over the frontand ends which, of the frame, this cover preferably being re- 85 and partly in longitudinal section showing the frame. A de ector 9 made 0 thin sheet a radiator with the device attached thereto; material, tpereferably metal is secured to the Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line rear mem r 2 and extends downward in the 2-2 of Fig. 1,'as indicated by the arrows, rear of, the radiator substantially to the botshowing a portion of the device in a diiierent tom thereof.

position in dotted lines; Supported on the transverse members 4 is Fig. 3 is a view in vertical section on an a receptacle or tank 10 shown as being a I enlarged scale of one end of the receptacleshallow rectangular tank havin a partition Fig. 4 is a similar view showing a modi ed 11 adjacent one end thereof." his tank is 40 arrangement; and disposed with its front side substantially=in Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical section of contact-with the inner side-of the member 1 the device taken on line 5-5 of Fi 1.- and a coiled'spring 12 of comparatively light I I Referring to the drawings, a ra iator of wire is disposed between one end thereof the usual type for'heating a room b steam and the partition 11 bein detachably'interor hot water is shown as a, having t e indi-' locked with the latter. olded sheets 13-of "vidual-sections a and a lon 'tudinal memabsorbent material, preferably ordinary her a connecting andextending between the blotting a r, are placed over the convosections adjacent the top thereof. lutions'o t e spring 12 with their lower I A frame is attached to the radiator comfree ends disposed in the tank adjaoe t the prising spaced front and rear slde members bottom thereof and a'curtain 14 of ab rbent I land 2 whlch extend longitudinally of the fabric material such as ordinary m uito v I radiator and. are connected by the end memba r, covers the member 13 and depen at bers 3. "Spaced members 4 extend transthe sides and ends thereof intothe tank 10. verse'lybetween the side members 1 and 2 The tank 10 is adapted to contain a liquid and are secured'thereto in any suitable manand is provided with a; supply pipe 15 and ner, these members being adapted to extend with an overflow pipe 15. It 15 desired to I maintain the liquid in the tank at substantially a constant level and for this purpose a valve is provideddisposed in a casing 16 formed as a hollow stem exteriorly threaded. The valve is not shown but is of all common type and is spring-pressed to closing position or is moved to closing position under the action of both the sprin and the fluid. Such valve is provided wit a projecting plunger 17 which, when pressed upon will open the valve. This valve is similar to the well-known Schrader bicycle valve. In order to maintain the liquid at the desired level and operate the valve in casing 16, said casing is provided with a bracket 18 held thereon by clamping nuts threaded on said casing, which bracket has pivoted thereto a lever 1.9. Said lever has a projecting pivot or pintle which is received in an aperture at the end of said bracket. The other end of the lever 19 is connected to the bottom of a float member 20. The float member is made of considerable weight and when the water 1n the tank is lowered the same will drop by gravity and the other end of the lever 19 which is flattened and is disposed under the plunger 17 will contact with and raise said plunger thus admitting water until the fluid lowered 1i 1s raised to a sufficient height to relieve the pressure .of the end of the lever on the plunger 17 g The lever 19 is constructed so as to be reversible in order to be used with the same type of valve when it is desired to have the valve or entrance pipe projecting upwardly into the tank 10. The bracket 18 is reversed in position and the end of the lever which was attached to the float, as shown in Fig. 3, is connected to the apertured end of the bracket by a suitable pivot, the lever bein provided with a flattened portion 21 adapted to extend over the plunger 17. The float 2O is attached to the other end of the lever and it will be apparent that the lever now acts as a third class'lever and will open the valve when the float 20 drops on account of the q uid level.

The liquid used in the tank '10 is preferably water containing an oxidizing or germicide substance. It has been found that potassium permanganate is a suitable substance to be used in the water. As the air wardly rises adjacent the radiator due to the heat-- mg thereof the same will pass into the rear the casing between the members 4; and the rear side of the casing and will pass forthrough the casing and out of the holes The radiator thus acts as acirculating means in applicants process and comination. The members 13 and 14 will be substantially saturated with the liquid owing to capillary attraction and as the air passes forwardly the same will come into contact with the moist surface of said members and the dust, bacteria and. other impurities will in a large measure be trapped and collected on said members. The water will be constantly evaporated and the atmosphere of the room will be humidified. The germicide y and oxidizing agent will not evaporateand paratus will be kept in fresh and sanitary condition at all times. Actual tests made with the device show that the bacterial content of the air is reduced The inside of the box or frame formed by the members 1, 2, 3 and 4, as well as the inside of the cover 8, will preferably be coated with water roof coating such as varnish and the outsi e of the members will be finished to correspond with the other woodwork of the room.

It is further noted that the pan 10, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, is romovable by merely removing cover 8 and then turning over fifty percent.

the pan edgewise and sliding the same later ally and upwardly from under the inlet pipe 15.

From the above description it is seen that applicant has provided an extremely eflicient method for the purpose intended and i one which has great utility. The humidity of the air is automaticallyproportioned to the dryness thereof and the amount of heat radiated. The cleansing of the air protects the walls and draperies of the room against the soiling dust laden air arisin from. the radiator. The device, also, is e cient for cooling window radiator seats as the cover 8 can be constructed to form a seat or shelf. The device, as a whole, forms an eflicient and ornamental apparatus, the action of which is entirely automatic. The control of the inlet of the water and the overflow pipe renders the device entirely safe and necessitates very little attention.-

It, will, of course, be understood that va-, rious changes may be made in the steps and sequence of steps of the method without deand clean atmosphere in a room which con sists in providing and maintaining a body of water with a sterilizing oxidizing nonvolatile germicide in solution therein and circulating the air in said room through an absorbent sheet of fabric material disposed in contract with said water and moistened thereby, thus trapping the dust, impurities and germs in the air rial whereby said germs are killed by said on said sheet of matemamas germicide and said water kept in a sanitary condition by said ermicide and the air in said room clean and sterilized without havin odors or fumes im arte'd-thereto.

2.. he method for pr ucing a sterilized and clean atmosphere in a room which consists in providing and maintain' a body of water with an oxidizing non-vo atile germicide in solution therein and circulating the air in said room into contact with an absorbent sheet of fabric material disposed in contact with said water and moistened thereby, thus trapping the dust, im urities and in the air on said sheet 0 material whereby said germs are killed by said germicide and 15 in a sanitary condition by c 'EDWABD o. ROSENOW. 

